Safe and Sound
by Dannie Tomlinson
Summary: AU 2.05 "I've got you," she murmured." During the search for Sophia, Daryl finds more than he ever expected: A snarky blonde with the weight of the world on her shoulders, a baby, and just about as much baggage as him. Things are about to get interesting.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. This was written for pure entertainment purposes.

**Safe and Sound**

Daryl struggled to climb up the steep hill; the arrow in his side burnin' something fierce. He was almost there, fifteen feet if that. Grabbing a small tree and adjusting his footing, looking for a foothold to keep his balance he took three more steps, quickly leaving him fatigued.

"Fuck," he muttered, leaning against the hill. Ten more feet.

"Quit bein' a pussy," Daryl told himself as he heard Merle's taunting laugh ringing in his ears. Gathering his strength he took a few more steps, five feet; almost there. Pulling on his last bit of strength, he was just a foot from the top, just had to pull himself up.

Then he lost his footing.

Blue eyes widening with fear, Daryl felt his stomach drop as he started to fall back. Out of nowhere a small hand grabbed his hand by pure chance and pulled him back to the hillside. He looked up into meet the gaze of his savior.

Green eyes met blue, a petite woman, blonde, barely into her twenties; just saved him.

"I've got you," she murmured, her pale pink lips quirking into a ghost of a smile. "Can you make it up?"

Daryl nodded, it took a minute but with some maneuvering and favoring his good side with her help; he was able to get to the top, quickly moving away from the edge, panting out of exhaustion and pain. He looked at the blonde who was wisely keeping her distance, a small hand held crossbow hung loose but ready in her hand.

"Did you get bitten?"

He shook his head, he saw a bandage wrapped around her arm. He nodded at it, "scratch or bite?"

"Neither, I fell, scraped it on a rock."

"Ya ain't bullshittin' me are ya?"

"Classy," she muttered under her breath. "That was two days ago and I'd have turned by now."

"Still don't-" he cut off as he heard a rustling off to the side, immediately, even though his crossbow had no arrows in it; Daryl still brought it up as a precaution.

The blonde snorted, "Easy Rambo, it's just a friend." She turned toward the direction of the noise and whistled a four note melody:-G-Bb-A-D(*)-which was returned a few seconds later. Light footsteps began approaching them, he could hear a low whining or crying noise, followed by a girl's voice.

"Shh, it's ok Connor." A very familiar voice said.

Sophia?

She emerged from the bushes, carrying a baby boy with brown hair, dragging a large duffel behind her. She stopped short when she laid eyes on him. "D-Daryl?"

He couldn't help but smile, despite of the pain he was feeling. "Hey kid."

Her face broke into a wide grin as she dropped the duffel, handed the baby off to the blonde and hurried over to him, stopping short when she saw the arrow sticking out of his side. "You're hurt," her big hazel eyes filling with tears.

Awkwardly, Daryl wrapped an arm around Sophia's shoulders, drawing her into his good side. He took in her appearance, a little dirty, tired looking but she was safe and he was grateful to the blonde.

"I fell Sophia, it happens."

"Were you… Were you looking for me?" She asked in a small, tear-filled voice that would've broken his brother.

"I was, an' I don' regret it," Daryl gently tilted her head so she'd look at him. "Made a promise to your ma that I'd bring ya back to her, whaddya say we go see her?"

Smiling, Sophia nodded and took Daryl's large hand into her smaller one. She turned to the blonde and held her other hand out to her. "C'mon Chloe, let's go."

Daryl watched the blonde and she chewed her bottom lip, mentally weighing her choices. She'd obviously been on her own with the baby for awhile. He admired her for keeping him safe, even more so for keeping Sophia safe as well.

"We're at a farm, s'not much, we're staying in tents and stuff, but the guy who owns it lets us use his showers when we need it. Food, water, shelter… you and your boy could stay with us, at least for the night if you're headin' somewhere ya need te be."

After what seemed like an eternity, Chloe nodded and slowly approached them. Connor made a fussing noise and squirmed in his mother's arms.

"I know baby boy, I know," she murmured as she knelt on the ground and opened the duffel bag and then pulled out a bottle, formula and bottle of water. Digging around, she came up with two energy bars and handed them to Daryl and Sophia who took them gratefully. Daryl downed his in three bites, if that; making Sophia giggle as she ate more slowly. Her gaze landed on her doll tucked into Daryl's belt, her face lit up and she pulled it out of his belt, causing him to jump and wince.

Her face fell, and she cringed, immediately expecting a smack. "Sorry," she whispered, waiting for a hit that would never come.

"Hey," she looked up at him. "I ain't yer sorry excuse fer a daddy, I'll never hurt you Sophia."

"And if you did, I will happily cut off your balls," Chloe informed him as she stood with Connor who was now in strapped to her chest in a baby sling contraption as he happily drank a bottle; in one hand a five inch hunting knife, the other her crossbow and a 9mm that he couldn't see tucked away in her waistband. She put the knife away, slung the bag over her shoulder and walked over to them; handing Daryl some aspirin and a bottle of water. "It's not much, but hopefully it'll take the edge off until the arrow can be taken out."

He nodded, cracking the aspirin between his teeth and taking a few gulps of water. "Thanks, Mama Bear."

She quirked an eyebrow but didn't protest the nickname. "How far is this farm?"

"Mile, maybe two." He eyed her hand held crossbow, "Nice set up."

She nodded at his. "Yours too. Got anymore arrows?"

Daryl shook his head, he'd need to make some or hit a sporting goods store in the future. Biting her lower lip again, Chloe handed her weapon to Daryl. He took it from her, their fingers barely brushing. She kept her grip on it as he tried to pull away. He stared at her with a furrowed brow.

"This was my husband's, please don't let anything happen to it."

"I won't," he promised quietly.

Sophia got their attention with a small gasp, she was gazing at down at the creek where two walkers had wandered through. Both were snarling up at them, staring hungrily at them.

Chloe wrapped a comforting arm around the girl's shoulders. "It's ok sweetie, they can't get up here, even if they do; we'll be long gone, ok?"

Sophia nodded and backed away from the edge.

She looked at Daryl, "Are you able to take lead?"

Daryl nodded, he'd be able to hang on till get got to the farm. "You got my back?"

Sophia was quick to defend the blonde. "Chloe saved me, you can trust her."

Chloe smiled at the girl. "From the mouths of babes…"

Daryl snorted, the raging pain in his side had turned into a dull throb. He'd be lucky if it didn't get infected.

"Let's go home." He said and started back toward the farm.

Sophia smiled at Chloe before following Daryl.

Smiling sadly, Chloe pressed a kiss to her Connor's dirty hair. He had fallen asleep, though he could sleep through just about anything. The bottle long finished and wedged between her breasts. "Watch over us Ollie," she murmured as she followed the two into an unknown future.

**To be continued**

**AN: **Hi! This is my first venture into The Walking Dead and technically my third into Smallville. For those of you who aren't familiar with Smallville, don't worry you don't have to be. Chloe (like Daryl) was created for the show and she's my favorite from the series. Though I highly recommend you get the DVDs and watch from the beginning. Anyone who is familiar with Smallville, yes, I did tweak the timeline. Instead of the series ending in May of 2011, it ended in May 2008, with Connor being born in February of 2009 and the apocalypse happening in late June of 2010. Everything from 2.04 (Chupacabra) is slightly AU.

* The melody, for those of you who have seen The Hunger Games, was used between the main character, Katniss and her ally, Rue; to let each other know they were safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, I just like playing in the sandbox. Any errors that make I will take credit for though.

**Chapter Two**

His side burns like a motherfucker.

The aspirin has taken the edge off, but as they keep walking and the arrow moving around doesn't make it last.

But the little girl next to him, clutching her doll as if it's what's left of her childhood; is happy, safe, and _alive,_ makes it worth the pain. She's telling him about how she had slept in the pantry of the abandoned farmhouse that first night, how she had felt scared when she tried to follow Rick's directions and failed once another stray walker had come upon her and chased her off in the opposite way of the group. She had been afraid to scream, thinking that would draw more strays.

He manages a smile and tells her she did the right thing.

She smiles at him and he feels like her hero.

They're almost there, he sees a clearing ahead and the farm right after that.

Finally.

Merle snickers in his ear. "_A little tumble and a cut and you're ready to collapse. Ya did better on yer own back when ya got lost, ya were younger than the girl They made ya soft boy… Ya found the kid; how 'boutchu find ole Merle now?"_

Daryl scowls and ignores him. Sophia sees and looks away, thinking she's angered him. It's only when Daryl asks her to tell him how she met Chloe, she smiles again. This time he returns it.

_XxX_

Chloe follows Daryl and Sophia from a small distance, giving the two space as the girl talks Daryl's ear off, a permanent smile on her face. Looks like someone had a crush on Mr. Southern Sharpshooter. Sophia told her she didn't know a lot about Daryl, but she liked him a lot more than his brother, and he was nice to her when their paths crossed. Once Sophia had gotten over her initial shyness and understandably, wariness toward her; she and Chloe swapped stories on the people in their lives. The only difference is, Sophia's people are alive and worried about her. Chloe's? Not so much.

But she has Connor, that's all who she needs in this new world.

Or so she tells herself.

She also can't help but notice the awful looking scars on his back and chest. Being a quasi expert on them; it looks as if they had been there for a very long time. In her belief, there's a special place in hell for people who do something like that, along with child molesters and people who talk in the movie theatre. She didn't know the man at all but something at the back of her mind was saying that she could trust him eventually.

Chloe shakes her head of the thought and smiles at the child, who's come a long way since their paths crossed in just over a week. If it had been her as a child, lost in the woods, the dead up and walking… Well, she might not have been so lucky.

It was only pure luck and chance that she had saved Sophia.

_She keeps Connor close to her as they sat at the edge of a creek bed, cleaning them both as best she can. He's stark naked as the day he was born, she in shorts and a bra; he's happily splashing around while she keeps a close eye for roamers. A noise from a distance catches her attention, someone-too fast to be a roamer- is running through the water. A girl comes into her view, but she doesn't see them. She stops to rest at the base of a tree, her chest is heaving as she tries to catch her breath. She doesn't notice a roamer coming up behind her. _

_In a flash Chloe picks up Connor and grabs her crossbow, immediately putting the roamer in her scope, she has one shot, she can't miss._

"How do I know when to let go?" She whispers.

His hand is over hers, gently tapping her fingers. "It's all about your heart. Just listen. Right there in between the beats. That's when you let go."

_She takes a breath and squeezes the trigger, the arrow flies straight and true; slicing through the air and right through the roamers head. The girl gasps and drops her doll as the roamer falls next to her, but thankfully doesn't scream, nor do either of them notice the doll get swept away in the stream._

_Her head snaps to them as she walks over to them, ever mindful of the area, it's just the three of them. _

_For now._

"_You ok?"_

_She nods, too stunned to say anything._

"_Where's your mom?"_

"_I don't know, I got lost," she mumbles. "I tried to follow Rick's directions but a walker came by and I ran off."_

_She nodded and got closer to her. "I'll help you find her, ok?"_

_She nods._

"_What's your name?"_

"_Sophia."_

As they emerge from the woods Chloe can see a farmhouse in the distance. A few cars and an RV on the edge of the property.

Daryl's starting to waiver, stumbling, no shuffling along; favoring his good side. From a distance he'd look like a walker.

Brow furrowing, she can hear shouting in the distance. Squinting, Chloe looks to the farm, four men are running toward them. On top of the RV, she can make out someone pointing a gun at them.

"Gun! Get down!" She yells, dropping into a crouching position, holding Connor even tighter to her. Daryl immediately drops to the ground, pulling Sophia with him, making sure he's in front of her. A shot rings out and a bullet whizzes by, thankfully missing them.

"The hell's shootin' at us," Daryl hisses through clenched teeth, his presses a hand to his side and pulls it back with fresh blood.

"Fuck."

Someone stands over them. He looks up as Rick lowers his gun, staring in disbelief at him then his gaze on Sophia. Stark relief crosses the former cop's face as he realizes she's ok. She's alive.

"Daryl?" Glenn walks closer, along with Shane and T-Dog, they've yet to see Sophia.

"The hell's goin' on Rick?" Shane growls in annoyance, he watches his former partner walk closer, no, past the redneck and scoops Sophia in his arms.

"No way!" Glenn exclaims in glee as he and T-Dog rush over to them. Shane follows, stunned.

"Scared the hell out of us little girl…"

"We were so worried… your mom's gonna be so psyched to see you!"

"What're the odds?" Shane mumbles, ashamed at his thoughts of just giving up on the girl; quickly writing her off as a lost cost. Rick had been right. And hell if that didn't leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

Shane and T-Dog helps Daryl up. The arrow sticking out of him doesn't go unnoticed.

"What happened?"

"Fell, fuckin' horse got spooked and threw me."

"How'd you find her?"

"Didn't, she did." He looks over his shoulder, looking for Chloe, who's partially hidden in the tall grass. "C'mon over Blondie, they don't bite."

Very aware of all eyes on them, Chloe slowly stands. She has been trying to keep Conner from screaming, the shot that missed them has woken him and scared him. His face is beet red, mouth open in a silent scream as he tries to draw in a breath.

_Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream._

Too late.

An ear-splitting scream leaves the tiny boy, making all around him cringe. But Connor was just getting started as he draws in another breath and wails again, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Will you shut it up 'fore every walker around here hears that?" Shane snaps.

Big mistake.

Green eyes flashing with smoldering anger, she stares at the man who was about to have a bullet go whipping by _his_ ear and see how much he liked it.

"Yeah because _my son _intentionally wants to bring them here! Whoever shot at us scared him half to death. How about you make sure we're still alive before you start shooting?"

"He is putting all of us at risk, _shut him up_!"

"Fuck you! I'm trying but he's a baby, they cry."

"Listen here you-" Shane cuts off as a small fist sinks into his gut. It doesn't hurt more than it surprises him. He looks down to find Sophia glaring something fierce at him.

"Leave Chloe an' Connor alone! She protected us both an' he can't help that he's cryin'."

Shane reaches for her but she backs away and goes to the blonde, surprising them all. By now Chloe has taken Connor out of his sling, quieting his screaming down to soft cries. Sophia kisses the baby's cheek.

"It's ok Connor, it scared me too."

"What's going on?"

Two more have walked up, an older man and a thirty-something blonde holding a rifle. The Mystery Shooter, great.

Andrea and Dale look at the small gathering. Andrea's the first to see Sophia and she suddenly grabs Dale's arm.

"Sophia…? Dale breathes in shock.

"I'll get Carol," Andrea says and sprints back to the farm.

"And Hershel! Daryl needs to see him," Rick hollers after her, then turns back to the others. "Let's meet them halfway."

Shane is ahead of them, a dark look on his face.

Sophia takes Chloe's free hand into hers and pulls her toward the farm, coming up alongside Glenn who's helping Daryl along. She reaches up and takes his hand for a brief moment and squeezes it gently.

"Thank you."

"For what kid?"

"For caring."

_XxX_

Tears.

That's what happens when a mother and daughter are reunited during an apocalypse in which the dead walk the earth. A mixture of happy and sad tears.

_XxX_

Gratitude.

Is what everyone is giving her when they find out that she's kept a girl and a baby safe by herself. They can barely believe it and sometimes she can't either.

_XxX_

Questions.

"How old is he?" Lori asks as Connor shies away into Chloe's neck.

"Sixteen months."

"Where are you from?" Dale wonders.

"Star City, my husband and I were in Metropolis before the… outbreak started, then my cousin and I went to Fort Benning… It got overrun and she didn't make it out."

"Where are you heading?" Rick asks, concerned. She looks as if she's about to drop right there.

"My uncle said the CDC would be my best bet, then D.C."

"It's gone." Shane says bluntly, watching her with suspicious eyes.

"_Gone_? What do you mean gone?"

"I mean, darlin'," he says condescendingly. "That it got blown to smithereens once the power ran out."

"Awesome," she mutters sarcastically.

_XxX_

Apology.

"I am so sorry, there was a glare and he looked like a walker from this distance. I feel like shit. I'd never forgive myself if I'd actually hit any of you."

"You're a helluva shot and you were protecting your camp. I get it, I don't my son or myself being shot at but I get it… Just make sure next time, ok?"

Andrea smiles, relieved. "Yeah."

_XxX_

Kindness.

Carol hugs Chloe as tears fall down her face. "Thank you," she whispers. "You and Daryl kept her safe, I'll never forget that."

It's been so long since someone motherly hugged her, Chloe selfishly savored it. Once the phone lines went down, she had no idea if Martha. Kent had found safety with Perry White. Or even if her own mother had been properly taken care of. Right before communications went down permanently Oliver had been making arrangements for Moira to be transferred to Fort Benning. She couldn't help but think of the worst.

"Sophia mentioned that you left your car on the highway, I could go get it for you." Glenn offers. Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe sees Maggie(?) watching them with worry and a hint of jealousy on her face. Hmm…

"That'd be great," she reaches into her pocket and pulls out the keys, tossing them to him. "It's a green Jeep Grand Cherokee."

"I remember that car… Tried getting into it but it was locked up tight, couldn't even get into the gas tank. But the trunk was empty?"

She smiles. "You sure?"

He frowns, is she messing with him? "… Yes?"

"The trunk has a hollow bottom, we kept everything there and slept in the back. Easier than setting up a tent."

He grins. "Nice. Be back soon."

_XxX_

Solitude and guilt.

She sits on the porch after sunset, her plate of food balanced on one knee while she tries to coax Connor into eating some mashed apples, peaches and potatoes. She had been invited to eat with the large group but hadn't wanted to intrude.

"Come on Connor… It's yummy."

He blows a loud raspberry at her and giggles.

"One bite?"

Another raspberry.

She glares up at the sky. "You're getting a kick out of this aren't you?"

"What?"

Shit.

Rick walks over to them. Kneeling on the porch next to her and Connor. "Did you say something?"

She smiles weakly. "Thinking out loud, I haven't been around anyone else since I left Fort Benning and I got… lonely, I guess… I didn't want to go crazy."

He nods in understanding. "You can't because everything you do, it's for him; affects him. You're his whole world now."

She nods and tries to feed Connor again. This time he nearly knocks the spoon out of her hand. "I need a drink," she mutters.

Rick sits down next to her. "Can I?" he asks holding his hand out.

She smiles and hands over the plate and spoon over. "Good luck."

Chloe eats her own food and nearly chokes with laughter as she watches Rick do a poor man's imitation of an airplane. But it works.

Then she remembers that Oliver used to do the same thing. She'd been giving him bottles or letting him eat with his hands for so long, she forgot. Guilt grips her heart as she feels tears form, but manages to blink them away before Rick sees.

_XxX_

Request.

"Talked it over with Hershel… He's letting us stay."

The relief is evident all around the camp. It wasn't safe for them to travel, especially once they found out that Lori was pregnant. It had been a week since Sophia had been found and with some tense negotiations between Rick and Hershel, they came to a agreement. They followed his rules and helped out around the farm, they could stay.

As the group talked and planned for the upcoming months, Chloe quietly slipped away with Connor to her tent. Glenn and T-Dog had been nice and set it up for her. Right next to Daryl's.

Daryl Dixon.

The man was interesting, she never could figure out what was going on beneath all that anger and tough exterior. They'd hardly exchanged any words, but she'd seen the looks he gave her when he thought she didn't see. Nothing could come of it even if she decided to stay.

And if she did it probably never would. Shouldn't.

At least that's what she kept telling herself.

She had to go. Plain and simple.

Since her tent was behind the RV and out of sight of everyone, she could start packing some things away and leave by nightfall.

It's for the best, she tells herself as she puts Connor in a portable playpen. He immediately lays down for a nap. Smiling ruefully, she ducks into the tent and rolls up her sleeping bag and puts it off to the side. She then grabs the duffel bag and quickly packs her and Connor's clothes away.

She's just stepping out of the tent when Sophia comes around the RV looking for her.

Oh great.

"Hey Chloe…" She trails off as she looks at the full bag and quickly makes a connection.

"You're leaving? Why?"

Chloe bites her lower lip. "Sophia-"

"It's not safe! I can help with Connor, all you gotta do is ask. Please Chloe, you need to stay." The girl rushes over to her and wraps her arms around her waist. "Don't go."

"Should listen to her, she's a pretty smart kid," Daryl says, seemingly coming out of nowhere. How did he do that?

Smiling, Chloe looks down at the girl who made her way into her heart. She wraps her arms around her.

"Ok, I'll stay."

**To be continued**

**AN: **Sorry for the wait! School work had to come first and I hit a small wall, it was just this last night that I got over it. Thanks so much for the reviews, alerts and favorites! I'm hoping everyone who's interested will stay interested and maybe drop a review too?

**AN2: **So Chloe's been slowly interacting with the others and will in future chapters. More Chloe/Daryl in the next chapter, promise! And again, if anyone's unfamiliar with Smallville I will fill in the gaps so don't worry. Hope I kept everyone in character.

Reviews please?

**Dannie**


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